Anyone doubting the legitimacy of videogames as a celebrated institution, lucrative industry and bona fide art form need only look to yesterday?s videogame BAFTA?s at London?s Hilton Hotel for a shock to their systems and biologies.
The event was every bit as glitzy, swish and glamorous as its film and television counterparts, and equally as packed with flawless stars wearing shiny things. The red carpet was laid out (we were there), winners celebrated backstage (we were there too), and losers wept in an adjacent alley somewhere. So, who was there? Who won what? What did they win? In short: everyone who?s anyone, everything, and a little golden mask...
First up: the red carpet. But a foot away from a bevy of award presenters, nominees and those just there to soak up the atmosphere/shamelessly promote themselves, we captured� the detail and dress in close-up snaps you can view right here, as well as delicious sound bites.
Boxer Joe Calzaghe, as punctual as he is punchy, arrived before everyone and has a bone to pick with his representation in EA?s latest boxing game Fight Night Champion: ?I?m a few points underrated in that, and better looking in real life too.? We won?t argue.
Author, TV presenter and one of those faces who seems to be everywhere, Danny Wallace seemed a tad embarrassed to say he?d caved and bought a Kinect. When asked about the latest Assassin?s Creed (Wallace voiced a character in the last two), he told us rather sheepishly: ?I?ve been sworn to secrecy.?
Above: Dara � Briain hosted the BAFTA?s for the third year in a row
Unofficial gaming ambassador and BAFTA host for the third time running Dara � Briain, of Mock the Week fame, had a lot to say. And quickly. ?With casual games and family games now, gaming is just going to get bigger and more diverse.? So, what were his standout games? ?I loved Limbo. Red Dead Redemption was also brilliant.?
Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley lent the awards sophistication and poise as he strolled the red carpet with his wife on his arm. Kingsley voiced a Welsh monarch in Fable III and played the mascara-ed villain in last year?s Prince of Persia film adaptation. He beamed about the experience. ?It was marvellous recording for Fable III. I had a great deal of creative input.? So that?s where the Welsh accent came from then. ?The BAFTA?s is the right, mature decision.? Sadly, Kingsley prefers to act in, rather than play, games: ?(me and my wife) aren?t big gamers.?
Acclaimed game developer Peter Molyneux showed up fashionably late ? being awarded the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship, he?s allowed to ? and spoke with typical enthusiasm. ?When I started in this industry I worked in a tiny room and lived on baked beans and potatoes... It?s not just me getting this award, it?s everyone.?
Above: Peter Molyneux, the infamous teller of tall tales also admitted that he?s guilty of telling the occasional fib
Other celebrities included reunited boy band and Eurovision hopefuls Blue in rambunctious form, model Gemma Atkinson who shone in a black number, and England rugby man and confessed Black Ops addict Delon Armitage, sporting a nasty black eye.
But what of the awards themselves? Moody murder-mystery Heavy Rain won big with awards in Best Story and Technical Innovation, while Sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 2 claimed last year?s Best Game. Here?s the full list of winners:
ACTION
WINNER: Assassin?s Creed Brotherhood
Ga�lec Simard
Ubisoft Entertainment/Ubisoft Montreal
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
WINNER: God of War III
Stig Asmussen, Ken Feldman, Cecil Kim
Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Santa Monica Studio
BEST GAME
WINNER: Mass Effect 2
Development Team
Electronic Arts/BioWare
FAMILY
WINNER: Kinect Sports
Development Team
Microsoft Games Studios/Rare
GAMEPLAY
WINNER: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Koichi Hayashida, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Takashi Tezuka
Nintendo/Nintendo
HANDHELD
WINNER: Cut the Rope
Efim Voinov, Semyon Voinov
Chillingo/Zeptolab
MULTIPLAYER
WINNER: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Development Team
Electronic Arts/Criterion Games
ORIGINAL MUSIC
WINNER: Heavy Rain
Normand Corbeil
Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream & XDev Studio Europe
SOCIAL NETWORK GAME
WINNER: My Empire
Development Team
Playfish/Playfish
SPORTS
WINNER: F1 2010
Development Team
Codemasters/Codemasters Birmingham
STORY
WINNER: Heavy Rain
David Cage, Guillaume de Fondaumiere, Scott Johnson
Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream & XDev Studio Europe
STRATEGY
WINNER: Civilization V
Jon Shafer, Dorian Newcomb, Brian Wade
2K Games/Firaxis
TECHNICAL INNOVATION
WINNER: Heavy Rain
David Cage, Guillaume de Fondaumiere, Scott Johnson
Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream & XDev Studio Europe
USE OF AUDIO
WINNER: Battlefield: Bad Company: 2
Stefan Strandberg
Electronic Arts/DICE/05.03.10
Mar 17, 2011
The biggest surprises of the Videogame BAFTA?s
God of War III bests Limbo for artistic achievement and other ridiculous upsets
Peter Molyneux admits to telling the occasional fib
Lionhead Studio?s boss confesses to white lies during BAFTA Fellowship acceptance speech
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